Class Action Lawsuit News

Key Topics Wal-Mart Facts - Get the facts and latest news about Walmart. - Key Topics - Litigation Updates

"Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Update

Six current and former female associates are pursuing a lawsuit in which they claim that Wal-Mart discriminates against women. In June 2004, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California certified the case as a class action. Wal-Mart disputes the allegations in this lawsuit and believes that certification of the case as a class action is improper because the claims of six plaintiffs are not representative of the experience of women working at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is seeking reversal of the class certification decision. Wal-Mart does not tolerate discrimination of any kind. Wal-Mart is a great place for women to work, and isolated complaints that arise from its 3000+ stores do not change this fact.

Sixty percent of Wal-Mart associates are female and currently just over 40 percent of our managers are women including professionals like pharmacists and opticians. We have been steadily increasing the percentage of women in management for years, and have in place diversity initiatives to ensure that promotions of qualified women and minorities are consistent with the rate they apply for these jobs. This means that if half the applicants for assistant store manager jobs are women, we will work to ensure that at least half of these jobs go to women.

We always are looking for ways in which we can improve. Wal-Mart has long had diversity initiatives, but established a separate diversity office in November 2003 to enhance the company’s ability to establish companywide synergy. We have programs which help prepare women and minority associates for positions of leadership. Additionally, Wal-Mart linked officer compensation to diversity goals: bonuses will be reduced by as much as 15 percent this year if goals are not met. "

posted by Monkeyman @ 9:33 PM